Another Day, Another Problem
by Don't I Wish 11.11
Summary: What would happen if Peter didn't tell Darcy that he didn't know Adams? What would happen if Clare wasn't there to call 911?
1. Chapter 1

_Adams: Hey. I know you're online._

_Adams: Aren't you going to say hi?_

_Adams: Why won't you answer me?_

Another beep escaped from her computer. Darcy cringed as she pressed "ok." The taunting message popped up. "Are you sure you'd like to delete your MyRoom page? It cannot be retrieved again." There was a long pause, and Darcy began to reconsider. Maybe Spinner would hate her guts; but she'd always have Adams: a young, rich, guy from private school. He thought she was beautiful and sexy, he knew exactly the right things to say and the right things to do.

_Adams: Darce? Darcy? Where are you? Are you OK?_

Darcy reluctantly dragged the mouse left, and clicked the button.

_Cheergrl: I'm fine, it's just, Spinner dumped me._

The reply back was instant.

_Adams: You don't need him. You're too good for him. You always have me._

_Cheergrl: _

_Cheergrl: Blushing_

"Darcy!" Her mother called from downstairs, "Dinner!"

"One sec mom, just let me log out!" She yelled back, still grinning ear to ear from Adams's reassuring message.

"Or maybe she just wants to talk to her online boyfriend" Darcy's sister Clare whispered in her ear. She smirked as she left their bedroom.

Darcy scrunched up her face angrily; her sister was going through her computer messages again. Clare couldn't be trusted with anything.

_Cheergrl: Gtg, dinner, talk to you tomorrow?_

_Adams: You bet. See you._

_Cheergrl: See you _

Darcy ran down the staircase, giddy from the image in her head. It was Adams, pale, brown hair, slender. He was wearing his navy blue and white uniform, and he leaned gracefully against the wall in front of his giant fortress of a school. He was everything she dreamed of and more.

"Darcy? What's taking so long?" Her mom yelled, irritated. "Your dinner's getting cold!"

"I know mom, I'm coming" Darcy rolled her eyes at her less than patient mother. She was only a minute late and already she was having one of her OCD fits. Everything had to be exactly on time.

By the time Darcy had gone downstairs, Clare was already picking at her plate of spaghetti, making no attempt to eat it. Somehow, in her mind, she thought that if she moved the food then it would magically disappear.

It wasn't long until the sound of Josh Groban's new hit song was displayed throughout the kitchen.

"Can I be excused?" Darcy asked her mother hopefully. Mrs. Edwards gave a sigh and shook her head, shooing her away with her left hand. The mid-dinner calls were becoming more and more frequent, and she knew bugging her daughter about it would only make the situation worse.

Darcy looked excitedly at the caller ID, only to be disappointed. It wasn't Spinner; instead it was a private number. She flipped the phone open and mumbled gibberish into the mouthpiece. The next two words put Darcy in awe.

"It's Adams"

Suddenly, Darcy's head was bombarded with questions. How did he know her number? Why does he sound so much older on the phone? What was he doing calling her? Was she going to start being a stalker boyfriend now? So many thoughts ran through her head, it felt like it was going to explode.

"Did Peter give you this number?" Darcy said, rubbing her hand against her temples.

"Who… never mind, yeah, he did." He sounded unsure of himself, and his voice sounded manipulated.

"Okay, well, why did you call?" She bit her nails out of nervous habit. Adams could probably hear her chomping away, but it didn't matter. After the whole thing blows over, they'd be even on the weird level.

"I just, want to see you so bad. You don't know how much I love your pictures. How much I love talking to you every day. Each day I wait for you to get on, just to be with you for a second." Maybe he didn't know everything to say. When he talked, it just sounded creepy and rehearsed.


	2. Chapter 2

Manny and Peter were still awkward around each other, but Darcy still decided to hang around the both of them. She knew perfectly well whenever she turned her head they were giving each other death glares, but she ignored them. She had bigger problems, Adam related problems. She must have spent half the night yesterday talking to Adams, who was easily upset by her hanging up. He seemed almost as short tempered as Manny's dad.

Besides, she was in a good mood. She and Adams made up, and she found out why he was such a jerk last night. He had been under a lot of stress lately; he was applying for an internship in Ontario. Not to mention he was sick with the stomach bug all week.

They decided they wanted to meet before the month's end, and Adam's said he wanted to meet this weekend. She only had four more days until his face would finally be revealed, his probably perfect face. Butterflies churned in her stomach just thinking about it. There was something in the back of her head telling her not to meet with him, maybe Spinner and Manny were right. But the more triumphant part was winning.

"What's up with you today, you seem unusually happy Darce." Peter said, giving her a strange look.

"Is there something wrong with me being happy?" Darcy replied quickly, the paranoia was already starting to set in. Whenever she was nervous or excited for something, the symptoms acted fast. She tended to have low tolerance and to be extra cranky.

Neither Peter nor Manny responded to Darcy's question, and both seemed relieved when the bell rang. They both said excuse me simultaneously, and scurried as quickly as they could to their next class. Darcy felt no rush to get to class, so she lolled mindlessly around the corridors, until she finally got to Media Immersion class with Mr. Simpson.

"Darcy? Do you have a pass?"

"Uh, yeah, I did, before; it must be in one of my pockets somewhere..." She said, pretending to search her clothes.

"Just sit down and don't let this happen again okay?" Darcy rolled her eyes at him and sat down next to Danny Van Zandt. He gave her a confused stare as she sat down.

"What do you want, freak?" She whispered, irritated. Danny crooked his eyebrow towards her, as she waited for his answer.

"Aren't you like, the teacher's pet or whatever? Don't you go to bible class and stuff?" Darcy rolled her eyes for the second time, if she had a penny every time she heard someone ask that question she'd be rich. She couldn't help but to give out a laugh from his ignorance, but it was strange. It was like he had just met her.

Danny knew Darcy since preschool, and just now he was asking her that? Maybe she had changed a lot since the beginning of the year… or maybe when her MyRoom page began. Darcy cleared her head from all the thoughts, and tried to focus to what Mr. Simpson was talking about. It had something to do with motherboards and their function, but she figured she'd just Google about it tonight. The class was called Media Immersion, was it not? She could immerse herself in the internet tonight, after she got off talking with Adams.

_I know, all of it has been pretty short so far, but I have so little time but I have a lot of ideas going on in my head on what's going to happen later on, and how to include every character so their stories intertwine. I hope you can suffer through the crappyness in the beginning and make it to the good part :-P_


	3. Chapter 3

The four days felt like they were moving at a snail's pace, but when Saturday finally came she didn't feel ready for it. She had invited Manny over to help her pick out her clothes, but she refused when she heard the reason why. Instead of helping, she told her she was crazy for going. Then, she rambled on about how Emma was almost raped by an internet psychopath.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. He did sound awfully old on the telephone, and no kid has that little patience, or at least she had never seen one. The puzzle pieces were starting to click in her head. But what if she was wrong? What if he was the perfect guy for her? You never make 100% of the shots you never take, but, at what risk?

Everything was happening so fast, she couldn't take it. Her head felt like she was going to explode if she didn't scream. Even doing yoga with her mother didn't help clear her mind.

Darcy had a mini heart attack as she remembered that she hadn't checked the time in nearly an hour. It was 11:56; she only had four minutes to get to The Dot, which was a half an hour walk. Her parents would never drive her and leave her alone there; they wouldn't want anything happening to their precious daughter. Besides, she wanted to leave after her parents and Clare left for some Church event she skipped. She had told her parents she might go study at Manny's for the night.

It wasn't a minute after Darcy's parents left that the doorbell rang. Darcy shot downstairs, figuring it was Clare forgetting something. But she didn't see Clare's face through the peephole. Instead, she just saw her front porch.

Darcy opened the door, figuring some kids were playing Ding Dong Ditch. But as soon as the door opened, a man who looked at least forty squeezed himself through the door. He automatically wrapped his arms around Darcy, and she gave a frightened look.

"You were late," The man said, angrily. "I was afraid you weren't going to show." Darcy wasn't sure which was more confusing, was the man Adams, and if it was, why did he say she was late? It was only 11:59. She still had a minute she might have come exactly on time.

Darcy tried to squeeze out from under his tight grip, but he wouldn't let her. He quickly shut the door and locked it, his right hand still firmly holding her. He was not the Adams Darcy thought he was, not even close.

He had a scruffy beard, and large square glasses. From a high school view point, he looked like someone obsessed with Star Wars, and a huge nerd.

"Leave me alone, I didn't realize… you were like this."

Adams crooked his eyebrow, looking genuinely confused, and angrier than before. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not attractive enough for you?" His nostrils flared as he tightened his grip on her even more. Darcy could feel him digging into her skin, the pain was nearly unbearable.

He dragged Darcy upstairs, despite her desperate attempts to escape from his arms. He threw her into her parent's bedroom, and quickly went inside and locked the door.

His hands tore apart her clothes, roughly and quickly. Then he quickly removed his, throwing the pile across the room. He pushed down on her bare chest, restraining her from moving. He was slowly suffocating her, while doing other things.

"Don't do anything, and I might decide to let you live." He whispered into her ear, and Darcy squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't believe she was getting raped. She wasn't the kind of girl those things happened to, she couldn't be. She was the perfect daughter her parents thought she was, going to Church, getting good grades, being on the spirit squad.

Now all she was dirty scum, nearly getting murdered. The thoughts in her head distracted her from the pain she was in, and the man who was lying on top of her.

"Too bad," Adams leant over and said, as he kissed her ear.

Darcy could feel his arms snake around her neck, and squeeze hard. She couldn't breathe, he wouldn't let it. She felt a feeling of nothingness, like she was floating, like she was high.

She felt dizzy, and suddenly all her thoughts rushed away. Her eyes closed, she never even screamed.


	4. Chapter 4

_But things just get so crazy living life gets so hard to do, I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew, that someday it would lead me back to you, that someday it would lead me back to you. – Maroon 5 "Sunday Morning"_

Clare trudged up the stairs, hoping to escape to her bedroom without her parents noticing. They were talking about her future life again, a conversation that usually ended in disaster. Her mother wanted her to follow in Darcy's footsteps and help the world, while her father wanted her to be a scientist. "Her brains shouldn't go to waste," he argued. The debate usually lasted at least an hour, and Clare wanted no part of it.

When she got in her room, something didn't feel right. Darcy's backpack was still on her bed, the textbooks scattered around the floor. Wasn't she supposed to be at Manny's house studying for their chemistry test tomorrow?

Clare searched the second floor anxiously, slamming each door shut when she didn't see Darcy. When she finally got to the doorway of the master bedroom, Clare saw Darcy naked on her parent's comforter. She tried to block the image of her sister's entire body out of her head, as she went up to her and shook her shoulders. "Darcy, wake up before mom and dad see you."

Darcy was limp and pale, her lips a ghostly pink. Clare shook her shoulders again violently, tears forming in her eyes. "Darcy!" She yelled, as she inched away from her sister. Tears were now streaming down her freckled cheeks, she was in awe. There was no blood anywhere, her sister couldn't be dead.

She bolted out of the bedroom and screamed for her parents to come upstairs. By the time her parents had got up by the doorway, she had regained calm. Darcy was a strong believer in God; he wouldn't do that to her family.

Her father pressed two fingers against Darcy's neck silently, as her mother sobbed, repeating "Is she going to be all right?" The words were lost in Mr. Edward's mouth, she had no pulse, she was dead. He couldn't speak, but he didn't need to. Both Clare and Mrs. Edwards knew.

"How could this happen to my perfect daughter?" Mrs. Edwards said in between gasps and tears. Her breath was heavy and fast, like in a horror movie.

"We're going to get through this mom; I know she'd want us to." Clare managed to say.

"Who could have possibly done this?" Clare's mom asked herself out loud. Clare bit her lip, as she felt more drops swell in her eyes.

"Her online boyfriend. Adams. I'm so sorry; I didn't know it was going to turn out like this. I thought she knew him. I saw them arrange a time to meet, today at 12:00 at The Dot." She felt like someone stabbed her heard out with a wooden stake, she knew she was the reason why her sister was dead. She could have stopped her, but she didn't. And now her parents were furious at her, they probably never wanted to speak with her again.

"Please, Clare, tell us everything you know."


	5. Chapter 5

** Sav's POV**

Today was my first official day of Degrassi, and to say I was excited, well, that would be a lie. We Lakehurst students aren't exactly welcomed here with open arms, more liked closed fists. Drake chose the worst time to stab that kid, I think his name was JT, since he doesn't have to live with the affected students. I just really hope no one hates me just because I'm from Lakehurst. I'm not here to cause any problems, my hobby is collecting stickers, does anyone really think I'm going to get into a gang fight or something?

My first classes had gone pretty smoothly for the most part, they were a little crowded, but who am I to complain? It wasn't until lunch I was worried. The cafeteria was like a circus, Bruce and Johnny leading it. They were tossing a geeky looking kid's hat around, making snide remarks about how dorky he was. I felt bad for the kid, but I didn't want to give myself a bad name at the beginning of the year. Luckily, while me and Jane were talking about how her classes went, a tough looking kid intervened. "Give him his hat back," the guy said calmly.

"Oh yeah, make me." Johnny said with a sneer.

"Look, man, I don't want to start any fights, just give him the hat." His voice was nonchalant as he spoke, and he watched as Johnny mimicked his words. He stared into Johnny's eyes expectantly. Johnny reluctantly gave the hat back to the now confident kid.

"That's right, leave!" The black haired kid with glasses yelled at Johnny. Out of nowhere Johnny threw a punch at the guy who had gotten the student's hat back. Only he expected it, and grabbed Johnny's fist with his open palm. The whole cafeteria had fallen silent, and you could hear the crack as Johnny's hand was bent sideways. The event only took as much as ten seconds, but it felt like a two hour movie.

I looked back at Jane, who was practically drooling over the new hero. I tried hard not to laugh, seeing Jane caught head over heels for a guy was weird.

Not long after the scene a Hispanic looking girl with a not so great haircut came by, holding her tray close to her chest. "Could I sit here?" She said sullenly, and looked around at the completely full table.

"Yeah, sure, you can sit here." I said, smiling, as I stood up and gestured to the open seat. She gave a small smile, and butterflies began to churn in my stomach. I examined the girl as she picked slowly at the vegetables lumped on the tray. She was thin and bony, her face was drained of color and her eyes seemed swollen.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to her, patting her shoulder.

"I'm fine, it's just, life hasn't been all too great for me lately. Hopefully my luck will turn around soon." She flashed a small smile towards me, then quickly went back to eating her food.

"Hey, do you want to, by any chance, go hang with me by The Dot today afterschool? " I said, then soon regretted it. What if she says no? Then again, I had nothing to lose.

"My parents have a no week day rule about socializing; don't ask why, maybe Saturday?" The girl said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Yeah, sure, definitely. By the way, what's your name? If you do have one, anyway." A playful smirk set on my lips.

"Of course, I'm Manuela Santos, but you can just call me Manny, that's what everyone else calls me."

"Well, okay Manny, see you around." A tingle went down my spine as I said her name. Manny Santos, she didn't exactly seem like my type, but she did seem like she could use somebody.


End file.
